Cubase 4

[Sascha Franck]

Of course, just as everybody, I like bundled plugins as well.
But, even if I love, say, Logics plugins, I'd never buy it for that. Add to this that bundled plugins are unuseable in any other host, which is truly bad if you're like me - using most of them in a subhost (Energy XT in my case).

So, all that new stuff isn't anything even remotely interesting me.

I know I know, I'm a more or less passionate Cubase hater, but they wouldn't even have to change their paradigms to make it at least useful for me. What I'd love to see the most (and these are things everybody would benefit from):

- New, efficient audio engine. Has been explained already, and following what Kingston said, we may even see some improvements here. Logic and Samplitude set the mark here.

- Free reordering of instrument and FX. Everybody has always only been requesting this for FX, but it should be possible with instruments as well. Let's say you want to quickly try another bass, coming from another sampler, when all the rest of your mix (including the FX and automation on that bass track) is already done - now, when you replace the instrument in your VSTi rack, everything is lost. Stupid, plain stupid, nothing else but that. Doesn't even work well with Steinbergs hardware-alike routing paradigm, because in a hardware studio I can easily route another synth into the mixer channel previously used by another one.

- Proper handling of freeze files. Right now you can't do anything with them (unless you import them onto an extra track, which obviously is anything but cool in case you want to unfreeze rearranged material later on). Samplitude (and partially Sonar as well) sets the mark here. A high mark that is - but one each and every sequencer should defenitely follow.

- Revamping of workspaces and linked mixers, editors and whatever. There's a whole lot of nice things you can set in your preferences, but they're only available globally, which is as stupid as it could get. For instance the linked mixers and editors. Coming from Logic, it's just brilliant how things are handled there. Mixers and editors are linked on a per instance base, which is making perfect sense. So you can keep one "static" and one linked editor opened at once.

- Several small (optional) GUI and workflow enhancements. The major culprit for me being the mixer and those endless plugin windows you end up with after working for only 5 minutes.
If the mixer can't be completely user configurable, fine (well, not, but ok, I can live with that...). But one should *at least* be able to define things such as only an EQ, 2 inserts and 2 sends being visible (at *once* of course), rather than always having to deal with inserts OR sends OR EQs.
Plugin windows could become "chainable", so whenever you open a new GUI, the previously opened one would just close (and not just hide, because it isn't set to "always on top). Would keep my workspaces clean.

Oh, and of course they should finally adress several annoyances such as the funny solo function...

Let's wait and hope they'll adress at least some of that.

[Compyfox]

If you're on the limit already in terms of mixing, and the "check" comes in causing a spike.

Have you done any actual tests of this? And how can you be certain it's the dongle check causing the spike?

The warez group also inserted a function that shows when the dongle reaccesses to check if "Cubase is still legit". That check might be 1% of the CPU only (on a 2,4GHz), but chances are you run into trouble.

Oh btw... I'm using 2 dongles (one for VSTi's, one for Cubase) and sometimes I feel the check. Very rare but it's there (might because my system is messed up big time for a year now). Two of my colluegues can confirm that random dongle check with SX3, too. And if I can remember, Steinberg confirmed this... check, too. IMO a useless feature.

You might not have any troubles at all, but it's sure shocking to hear this.

i think some moderator at cubase.net posted, that it will be released in the end of 2006. it makes sense to announce it in the end of september and then release it before christmas...

At Musikmesse 2006, half of the programmer crew confirmed that SX... er... BOB will be released Autumn 2006. And since autum is September - November, I'm fairly sure it'll be released in october, like SX3 was released in October 2 years ago.

OMG, the nerve! They're in direct competition with Fruity! IL always releases new versions of FL around Christmas!!

Cubase is no competition to Fruity Loops, as Fruity Loops is no competition to Cubase (not to mention far from it in terms of functions). Two totally different worlds.

[bmanic]

- Snap-to-dB for volume envelopes. (Who cares about 0.01 dB resolution. I want my envelopes to snap to 0.5dB increments in the top 6dB, and 1dB below that. That's more than enough resolution for my mixing tasks. I find myself manually editing EVERY volume node (by typing in the value), because I'm meticulous like that, and it's frankly a better way to work, I think. Most gain adjustments I do are in multiples of 3dB anyway because of dB law ... I don't want -3.02dB of gain, I want -3dB, you know? Anyone with me on this one?)

No.. that is purely

It's NOT about numbers, it's about how it SOUNDS!

- bManic

[Lunch Money]

- Snap-to-dB for volume envelopes. (Who cares about 0.01 dB resolution. I want my envelopes to snap to 0.5dB increments in the top 6dB, and 1dB below that. That's more than enough resolution for my mixing tasks. I find myself manually editing EVERY volume node (by typing in the value), because I'm meticulous like that, and it's frankly a better way to work, I think. Most gain adjustments I do are in multiples of 3dB anyway because of dB law ... I don't want -3.02dB of gain, I want -3dB, you know? Anyone with me on this one?)

No.. that is purely

It's NOT about numbers, it's about how it SOUNDS!

- bManic

+1 to bManic. I can't imagine any reason in the world to have a volume/level snap... crazy talk....

[mbncp]

> Snap-to-dB for volume envelopes
The only time I want a perfect 0 db is when I'm reaping my locked samples, but that's really the only time.
Otherwise, listen to the sound and forget these digits.

[wonder6oy]

> Snap-to-dB for volume envelopes

If you adjust the clip volume from the info bar using a mouse, it will step up or down in 1db increments.

[MacQ]

I do listen to the sound, believe me. I don't have to "prove" myself to anyone here. But still, for visual purposes, I'd prefer a lock to dB. Disagree all you like ... I still know that I want it.

Re: Sascha's comments ... yeah, I agree about the re-ordering and replacing of VSTi's. It'd be nice if Cubase just saved mixer channel states of the loaded instrument when you replaced it and then asked you if you wanted to reload those same settings (volume/inserts/sends/EQ) for the replaced VSTi or whether you wanted "clean" channels. This would be an "intelligent" feature, and would save time.

I also like the freely configurable mixer idea ... though the channel settings window already allows everything to be viewed simultaneously, so Steinberg may not see the need.

~MacQ

[mbncp]

>> But still, for visual purposes, I'd prefer a lock to dB
Well I agree it's easier to add 2 and -3 than 1.989 and -3.025.
But a sequencer uses db just for display, and in case of a mixer, it's always an offset. 0db means multiply the bits by 1.0, and when we multiply by 0.5, it's not -6 db, but -6.020599913 db. -> 20*log(val) and 10^(db/20) to convert the other way.

[xtp]

it would be nice if the score editor worked for audio instead of just for midi. Maybe in Cubase SX10.

[popsych]

it would be nice if the score editor worked for audio instead of just for midi. Maybe in Cubase SX10.

Something like melodyne or elastic audio in Samp ?

[xtp]

it would be nice if the score editor worked for audio instead of just for midi. Maybe in Cubase SX10.

Something like melodyne or elastic audio in Samp ?

Cheers for that, Melodyne sounds cool.

[Sascha Franck]

I think, now that Samplitude has it, we'll see Melodyne-alike features embedded into all of the main sequencers pretty much soon. Defenitely something I like. Might be bad for the fellows at Celemony though.

[stag]

Powering down a Vsti, calling another, inserting it on the previous VSTi\Hard Synth track it is a no brainer.
Freeze perhaps could be enhanced, it should be, or else i stick with regular rendering\offline process.

The Plugin developers are counting alone on the lame Cubase users as their customers base, as other platform running on "superior" OS\hardware don't need them... well good for them... just let me add that Waves SSL 4000 cost almost as much as SX3 itself, UAD Precision Bundle and many others too.

Those Logic\Samp dudes are truly blessed on that department, i just wish they look and feel just like cubase to acomodate my workflow the proper way(IMO).



With the license plugin transfer i could buy a new pute, interface, still reserve some for the "superior" sequencer and keep SX altogether just in case.

PS i hope cibase 4 will do something about multi out VSTi, nameli NI's.

[xtp]

I think, now that Samplitude has it, we'll see Melodyne-alike features embedded into all of the main sequencers pretty much soon. Defenitely something I like. Might be bad for the fellows at Celemony though.

I just downloaded the Melodyne manual and scim read thru it, I didn't realise this product existed, I'm fairly new to digital recording.

I spend a lot of time improvising and sometimes I might like a number of sequences that I cant remember how I played. I tried a number of audio to midi trial programs on a mono recorded acoustic guitar and not one of them got near 50% accuracy.

In fact they were so bad I just gave up and got out a pencil and scored what I wanted by ear. It would be nice to be able to press a button and have it done though.

something to think about, it would be a useful tool.